Fire-alarm indicator.



F M STACY & W. F. WOODS.

FIRE ALARM INDICATOR.

APPLICATION FILED MAY 18. I9l7.

Patented Mar. 11, 1919.

2 SHEETS-SHEET l- INVENTORS Eat M. 6700 ATTORNEY F M. STACY 61 W. F. WOODS.

FIRE ALARM INDICATOR.

APPLICATION FILED MAY 13, 1911.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

ATTORNEY- UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

FRED M. STACY Al\l'D WILLIAM F. WOODS, OF PORTSMOUTH, NEW HAMPSHIRE.

FIRE-ALARM INDICATOR.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that we, FRED M. STACY and WILLIAM F. Woons, citizens of the'United States, residing at Portsmouth, in the county of Rockingham and State of New Hampshire, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Fire-Alarm Indicators, of which the following is a specification.

Our invention relates to improvements in fire alarm indicators, and it consists in the constructions, combinations, and arrangements, herein described and claimed.

An object of our invention is to provide a fire alarm indicator adapted to be located in each of a number of engine houses in a district having a certain number of fire alarm boxes, the indicator mechanism including a plurality of hinged drops which are successively numbered and are releasable in turn by a magnetically operated mechanism which in turn is energized or actuated when an alarm is turned in at a box.

Another object of the invention is to provide a device of the class described, which includes a roll having studs spirally arranged thereon, these studs being adapted to successively release each one of a series of numbered drops when a magnetically operated mechanism is actuated by the turning in of analarm at a box.

Another object of the invention is to pro-.

, vice is housed.

Other objects and advantages will appear from the following specification, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, in which i Figure 1 is a side elevation of the indicator mechanism showing the drops in their normal positions, the housing or casing being omitted,

Fig. 2 is'a plan view ofthe parts shown in Fig. 1,

Fig. 3 is a cross section of the device parts being shown in elevation, and

Fig l is a diagrammatic view showing the electrical connections of one of the indicator mechanisms with the magnet actuating devices in a fire alarm box.

By reference to Fig.1 of the drawings, it will be observed that a frame l'supports a revoluble roll -2 which is journaled sub- Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Mar. 11, 1919.

Application filed May 18, 1917. Serial No. 169,526.

stantially as shown. The frame 1 includes the base3 to which a superstructure 4 is at tached.

A series of drops 5 are pivotally supported on a universal supporting shaft 6 which is mounted between depending portionsof the superstructure t as shown in Fig. l. The drops 5 are numbered in progression, the drop 5 at the upper part of Fig. 2 being numbered 1, the remaining drops being" progressively numbered 2, 3, etc., down to the last drop which is numbered 13, as shown in Fig. 1.

The shape of the drops is immaterial, for they maybe square or round asshown in Fig. 1. The actual construction of the indicator mechanism will include a casing for housing the working parts of the device" each of the numbered drops 5 in the normally elevated position shown in Fig.1. A stem 9 which is formed as an extension of each of the drops 5, is adapted to rest beneath the heel 8 and hold the drops up.

The drop dog 7 is in the nature of a bellcrank and carries a spring 10 on the horizontal arm as shown in Fig. 1. The spring 7 10 is adapted to be struck by one of a plurality of spirally arranged studs 11 on the roll 2, there being one stud for each of the drop dogs 7.

The spiral arrangement of thestuds 11 is plainly shown in Fig. 2 from which it will be understood that rotation of the drum 2 that an alarm has been turned in at box number 1 in the protected district.

It may be however that an alarm has been turned in at some other box, in which event, the roll 2 is made to rotate until the corresponding number of stud 11 has moved past and operated the spring endsof the dogs 7 thereby releasing a number of drops 5 corresponding to the number of the box from which the alarm has come.

A stop 12 limits the movement of the drop dogs 7 in the forward direction, the stop 12 being in the nature of a bar which extends from one side of the superstructure 4t to the other. A spring 13 secured beneath each of the horizontal arms of the drop dogs, rests upon the platform 3 and serves to support thedrop dogs in the normal position in engagement with the stop bar 12 as shown in Fig. 1. The drop dogs 7 are consequently operated by the studs 11 against the tension of the supporting springs 13.

An auxiliary number wheel 1st is secured on one end of the roll supporting shaft as shown in the drawings. The number wheel 14; has an equal number of numerals arranged on the periphery of the wheel, corresponding to the number of drops 5. The numerals on the number wheel 1 1 are adapted to be viewed from an auxiliary opening in the casing of the device.

The energization of an electi'o-magnet 15 imparts a step-by-step rotation to the roll 2 through the medium of a plunger 16 which has hearings in the base 3. The plunger 16 is attached to an armature 17 which is at tracted by the electro-magnet 15. An actuating pawl 18 is pivoted on the upper end of the plunger 16 and is pressed by a spring 19 into engagement with a ratchet 2O fixed on the shaft of the roll 2.

A. spring 21 which rests on the base 3 and bears against a collar 22 on the plunger 16 tends to elevate the armature 17 from the electro-magnet. The electro-magnet 15 is normally deenergized and the armature 17 is accordingly elevated. The successive de'energization and energization of the electromagnet 15, causes the plunger 16 to reciprocate. The pawl 18 will accordingly engage successive ones of the teeth of the ratchet 20 and rotate the roll 2 step-by-step in a clock-wise direction.

A dog 23 is fulcrumed on an ear at one side of the frame 1 and engages the teeth of the ratchet 20 so that reverse motion of the roll 2 is under ordinary conditions prevented. A spring 21 presses the dog 23 into engagement with the teeth of the ratchet 20. The end of the dog 23 is curled into a fingerpiece 25 which may be depressed by the finger of an attendant to release the dog 23 from the teeth of the ratchet 20 so that the roll 2 may be counter-rotated to its original position.

The electro-magnet 15 is in a normally open electric circuit so that the electro-magnet is constantly de'elnergized and the armature 17 is normally elevated. The electric circuit is indicated 26 in diagrammatic Fig. 4E. The current is furnished by a battery 2'? and the circuit is adapted to be completed near/gees by the circuit maker 28 which is located in a fire alarm box. Fig. 4c shows the electrical connections for only one fire alarm box with the indicator mechanism. There will be a similar mechanism including the circuit maker 28 in every fire alarm box in a protected district.

The actuating mechanism embodied in a n nre alarm box, includes a disk 29 having a plurality of pins 30 secured on the periphery. Fire alarm box number 1 will have a disk 29 with two pins 30 on the periphery. When an alarm is turned in at box 1, the disk 29 will berotated by the usual clock-work mechanism and the two pins on the periphery will strike the circuit maker 28 and thus energize the electro-magnet 15.

The arrangement of the pins 30 on the peripheries of the disk 29, is however a matter to be established by experience and should it be found in actual practice, that the two pins are not needed, one may easily be left 0E so that box 1 will have but one pin. It will now be understood that when an alarm is turned in at a box, the correspond ing disk 29 will perform one complete revolution and the electro-magnet 15 correspondingly operated. The roll 2 will accordingly efiect the release the required number of drops 5 so that the number of the box at which the alarm is being turned in may be ascertained by looking through the sight opening in the mechanism casing.

In actual practice an alarm bell will be suitably connected with the roll 23 so that as soon as the roll begins to rotate, the alarm bell will be sounded so that attention may be called to the fact that an alarm is being turned in.

The operation of the device is as follows. Each fire alarm box in a protected district will have a disk 29 which is adapted to be rotated by suitable clock-work mechanism. In actual practice, the disk 29 makes one revolution in ten seconds. When the disk 29 disk will strike the circuit maker 28 successively and send an equal number of electrical impulses through the electro-magnet 15. The roll 2 is accordingly rotated through the medium of the actuating pawl 18 which is mounted on the end of the plunger 16.

The plunger 16 is caused to reciprocate when the electro-magnet 15 is energized. As the roll 2 revolves, the studs 11 which are spirally arranged on the periphery of the roll will engage the successive ones of the drop dogs 7 so that the number drops 5 are released in succession. The roll 2 is adapted to rotate in a clock-wise direction and it therefore follows, that the top one or the number drops 5 will fall first and the others will fall in succession.

The hnal drop which falls will indicate the number of the fire alarm box from which the alarm is being sent and this number may be ascertained by looking through the sight opening in one end of the casing in which the indicator is housed. Should the attendant find it more convenient to view the numerals on the periphery of the number wheel 14:, he may do so, the wheel 14 being provided for the express purpose of acting as an auxiliary indicator to the number drops 5.

While the construction and arrangement of the device as illustrated in the accompanying drawings, is that of a generally preferred form, obviously modifications and changes therein may be made without departing from the spirit of the invention or the scope of the claim.

We claim In a device of the class described, the combination of a frame including an inverted U-shaped superstructure, a drum dog consisting of a normally horizontal and a normally vertical portion, thus causing the dog to be substantially L-shaped, means passing through the dog adjacent the angle thereof and carried by one side of the U-shaped superstructure for pivotally supporting the dog, a heel formed on the vertical portion of the dog, a bar carried by said superstructure in the path of movement of the dog whereby the movement of the dog in one direction .will be limited, a spring secured to the horizontal portion of the dog and bearing upon said frame, thus yieldably holding the dog in engagement with said bar, signaling means carried by the remaining side of said superstructure and being normally engaged by the heel of said dog, thus causing the signaling means to be normally held in a set position, and means for engaging the horizontal portion of the dog for swinging the same downwardly, thus moving the vertical portion of the dog to one side from engagement with said stop bar, whereby said heel will disengage the signaling means to free the signaling means and allow the same to operate.

In testimony whereof we affix our signatures in presence of two witnesses.

FRED M. STACY. WILLIAM F. WOODS.

Witnesses:

MARJORIE CAMERON, GEORGE H. AMAZEEN.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. 0." 

